LUIS Antonio Valencia used to scavenge for empty drinks bottles to make a few pennies for his impoverished family.

Tomorrow he hopes to be celebrating his first major football medal by swigging from a magnum of champagne at Wembley after helping Manchester United win the Carling Cup.

Valencia’s journey from the backstreets of Ecuador is a classic rags-to-riches tale.

He helped his mother sell drinks outside the stadium of his local club at Lago Agrio in north-east Ecuador. With his two brothers, he would then go in search of the empties for his father to sell to a bottle-deposit in the capital, Quito.

Money was tight but Valencia never felt deprived. “My childhood was very happy,” he said. “While my dad worked, all the members of the family worked together to help bring food to our home.”

Now he is able to reward his family. He flew them to Manchester from South America at Christmas and they saw him score against his former club, Wigan.

Valencia’s background fits into the “hungry” profile boss Sir Alex Ferguson looks for in players, according to Patrice Evra.

“I am sure he looks at a player’s background to find out what kind of man he is signing,” said Evra.

“The boss came from a difficult part of Glasgow. I came from a difficult suburb in Paris with 24 brothers and sisters.

“The coach once spoke about this to all of us and I will never forget it. He showed us all that we had a soul.”

The hardships of Valencia’s upbringing certainly did not impair his development as a player, via El Nacional in Ecuador, Villarreal and Recreativo Huelva in Spain and then Wigan, where he made such impressive strides he caught the eye of Real Madrid as well as United last season.

With Cristiano Ronaldo bound for the Bernabeu, Ferguson moved for Valencia. At £17million, he was viewed, cynically by some, as a cut-price and inferior replacement.

Slowly but surely, though, the unfavourable comparisons have disappeared and fans and pundits are judging Valencia on his own worth. Seven goals, a dozen or more assists – many of them to supply Wayne Rooney – and an unselfish work ethic have made him a big hit with Ferguson, his team-mates and supporters.

But Valencia bristles when people make comparisons with Ronaldo. “He’s Cristiano Ronaldo, I’m Antonio Valencia,” he said. “My way of playing is different. We don’t have anything in common.”

That is a significant remark, given that camera-shy Valencia barely smiles and never celebrates when he or United score – unlike Ronaldo, who milked the moment for all it was worth.

Valencia, 24, is happy to accept the view that he is from the same no-nonsense school as Paul Scholes. “I like to spend time at home with my partner and my family,” he said. “I never look out for a photo opportunity. If that is what Paul Scholes is like, then yes, the comparison is correct.

“I know I don’t celebrate when I score. You might not be able to tell from my face, but I promise you I’m celebrating inside.

“I only scored seven times during my three years at Wigan, and that probably included all the training sessions.

“It was fair of the manager to say it was a part of my game I had to improve. I am working on that but goals are not the only thing I bring to the team. I provide crosses, tackle back, and try to make clever passes to my team-mates.”

After a nervous start while he found his feet, Valencia is flourishing at Old Trafford. Along with Evra, he has made more appearances this season than any other player – even Rooney.

If he starts at Wembley tomorrow it will be his 38th appearance in a United shirt – and he could not be happier.

“Real wanted me but I turned them down because I was happy at Wigan,” he said. “Ferguson told me he wanted me in his team but I didn’t believe him at first. Now I realise that he is one of the true serious guys in England. When he says something he means it.

“I’m just happy to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in the world. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be playing as much as I have. I thought I would be used sparingly at first and then more and more as I settled in at the club.

“I’m really enjoying my United career – and this is just the start. It would be great for me to sample some silverware in my first season. When you are part of this club, you think only about winning trophies.”

From being a scruffy kid collecting the empties outside the stadium, Valencia hopes to be popping the corks on the inside tomorrow. It has been some journey from Lago Agrio.‘You think only about winning trophies’